25/10/2011 BBC Channel Islands News

Good evening. Welcome to BBC Channel Islands. The headlines: A

victory for disability campaigners could spell the end of dirty and

undignified public toilets. They will be twice as big as the present

ones and will have access and somewhere for people to be changed

without being put on the floor. Later on the programme: Use it or

lose it, would you miss Saturday deliveries from Guernsey Post?

And getting back to nature, how children are learning to love their

Campaigners have heralded steps to improve public toilets for disabled

people as long overdue. A new law has been drafted to ensure all

newly-built or extended public buildings will have facilities

accessible for those in wheelchairs. Already St Helier's newest park has

one such facility. Edward Trevor relies on his

mobility scooter to get around Jersey. But he has to plan his

journey down to the smallest detail because accessing toilet facilities

can be a real barrier. practical. Not possible. It is the

wrong angle. It would be impossible to use this if you could not walk

and he needed to come in by scooter. I think the toilet is disabled

rather than the person. Being forced to turn away is an issue

many people with disabilities based in Jersey, but that could be about

to change under proposals to ensure proper disabled toilets are built

in all new public buildings and extensions. To use the toilet

properly and without the embarrassment of being laid on the

floor, because they will have a shelf on which they can go to have

their clothing changed, so that will make a great improvement.

new law has yet to be passed, but already there are signs of things

to come. This is the sight of the first disabled toilets to be built

in Jersey. It will have easier access and beat twice the size and

there are plenty more to follow. Years ago with my own disabled son,

who has made a good recovery tea, I'd discover it what they had to go

through. This has been my dream of bought 20 years. The proposed law

to introduce more facilities like this will be debated by the new

States. For Edward that is one less obstacle to a smoother journey.

More than 28,000 people turned out to vote in Jersey's elections this

year, at nearly 4000 more than in 2008. It is 45.5%. It is below the

61.9% who voted in the Isle of Man's general election and of the

55% to voted in the 2008 Guernsey elections.

There is a call to raise Jersey's minimum wage to �8.20. It is

currently at �6.32 an hour, about 40% of the average salary. But

deputy Geoff Southern believes it should be about 50% of the average

salary. He says offering �8 an hour will encourage more people to work

in farming and hospitality. Next, under pressure to cut costs,

Guernsey Post is considering axing its Saturday deliveries. Tomorrow

the States will vote to decide if the company should be allowed to do

it. The company could go from six days to five at the start of the

year. Receiving and sending you post on a

Saturday could soon be a thing of the past. More of us are using e-

mail and social networking websites and sending and receiving fewer

letters. This means less money for Guernsey Post at a time when it is

coping with an increasingly costly relationship with the Royal mail.

It is arguing that something has got to give and claims that cutting

the service from 65 days is the way to go. Whilst price might have been

the mechanism to offset that reduction over recent years, we

cannot do that anymore because that increases the level of decline. We

have to take a look at service and we have consulted on this issue and

we think this is a sensible step. Many postal workers depend on the

overtime payments on Saturdays and some feel a reduction in service

would be bad for them and the island. There is a lot of slack and

as with all these things it is like the shop once it is gone, it has

gone and you never get it back. There are a number of issues, but

the issue everyone should concern themselves with is the public and

the Six Day service which delivers right to Lands End will stop two

years ago Guernsey pose saw a 15% drop in volume and this year there

has been a 5% decline. Tomorrow the States will decide it axing

Saturday deliveries is a price they feel the island is willing to pay.

Harbour bosses are warning Guernsey boat owners about the dangers of

recovering vessels during storms. It comes after yesterday's high

winds blew two boats off the wall into Belgrade bay. The

harbourmaster said conditions would have made it difficult and

dangerous to recover them. Jersey's Harbour Master, Captain Howard Le

Cornu, is stepping down. He joined Jersey harbours in 10,001 and was

appointed CVO in 2005. He will lead at the end of March. Doug Bannister

will take over in early November. A campaign to recruit more foster

carers in Guernsey has got off to a good start. It was launched last

week and since then there have been more than one dozen inquiries. The

authorities say a whole range of families are coming forward. People

from all sorts of backgrounds. We have got older couples and

individuals, we have got younger people who have not had children

and to our thinking, we never thought we could foster and having

thought about it now they have come forward. A whole range, individuals,

Couples, different backgrounds. Later: How scientists are learning

secrets of the deep through some old teeth.

The blustery weather this week has not stopped children in Jersey

Bencher on a woodland walk. The National Trust is holding guided

walks through the island's woods during half term with the aim of

getting youngsters out and about. # Did you go down to the woods today,

you are sure of a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today,

you'd better go in disguise... Well, they did not find any teddy bears,

but they learnt more about Jersey's woodland areas. They donned their

wellies and their raincoats for the first of the National Trust

woodland walks. It is nature's harvest time, so to speak. You get

a nice time when wild life is easier to see. It hides away during

the winter. It is nice to see different parts of our world like

to see the leaves and the fruit in season. A millipede. Chestnuts,

leaves and insects were pointed out along the way. What did they

enjoyed the mayor's? Being out in the woods because you can find

different animals. I was looking to find a millipede, but I could not

find one. Trying to find bugs that are hibernating so this is the

first one they have ever done. fund, educational awards are being

held every day this week. The trust hopes to inspire young, naturalists

of the future. In sports and Peter Vincenti is

likely to play against Manchester United tonight. He played for

Jersey a few years ago, but now plays for Aldershot and they face

United in the 4th round of the Carling Cup. Tonight will be a

dream come true as he is a Manchester United fan. They are

hoping to win, but deep down I bet he is hoping for a draw Mac. He

would love a draw and go back to Old Trafford and play his idols at

the Theatre of dreams. It must be the favourite resort for Peter.

Heather Watson has eased through to round two of the bars to pull open

in Devon by defeating Amanda Elliott. She will face Laura Robson

tomorrow. Join us tomorrow evening because we are hoping to speak to

I think we have got more showers across the Channel Islands for the

next 24 hours. It becomes a little drier towards the end of the week,

but we have wet weather to get through first, particularly on

Thursday. Overnight we have two areas of low pressure. This one is

giving us the showers right now and there is a new one not far from the

west coast of Spain and Portugal. It will arrive across the Channel

Islands by lunchtime on Thursday. It is not that windy, but a lot of

wet weather for much of the day. On Friday the ridge of high pressure

comes into dry things out. There are some showers around this

evening and overnight, probably becoming more isolated, but the

risk of showers right the way through dawn. Temperatures down to

10 degrees. Tomorrow morning we will have some showers and by the

afternoon they will become a little more isolated. Come the end of the

day, it clouds over from the south- west. Winds from the south by the

end of the day and 15 degrees will be the maximum temperature. These

are the coastal waters forecasts. The times of high water. For most

of the beaches it is reasonably clean. The winds bring a fairly

slow-moving weather front across as on Thursday, so we are going to see

more persistent rain. By Friday that will move away and it is a